The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-01-08

tne motlOn OF the grass, but dld not
speculate as to what it was. The coun-
try is overrun with hares, field rats and
other small and harmless animals, and
the fact that something was moving in
the grass would not have been consid-
cred by the natives as worth investigat-
ing. l was looking at the ground, but
thinking of matters in America, when
| suddenly caught sight of the head OF
a mOnstrOus serpent raised above the
grass. The head was steady for few
minutes, and then moved slowly from
right to left and back like the pendu-
lum of clock. AT this time the reptile
was about a hundred feet away, and
right at the edge of the tall grass. Be-
tween me and him the ground was bare,
the grass having been killed out by the
feet of the villagers.
l suppose that there was still suffi-
cient poison in my system to deaden
my sensibilities to u certain extent. l
felt no fear of the serpent, nor did |
wish for my gun to give him shot. l
had no fears of the woman seated with
her back to the grass, nor for the native
fast asleep below me. This com
placency on my part is to be accounted
for, as | said, on the ground that my
nervous system had been deadened and
had not yet recovered its activity. The
serpent presently crawled into view,
and saw that it was a cobra of enOrm-
Gus size. As soon as the snake was
clear of the grass he raised his head for
a closer survey, The woman and the
man were about the same distance from
him, each being the side of triangle.
AS | saw him hesitating about choice,
| calmly reasoned that he would come
my way. He had two victims under a
tree, and only one the other way. He
was a long minute making up his mind,
and then he came creeping toward the
tree, head well up, eyes blazing, and
tongue darling in and out.
1t may be that the serpent saw the
sleeping man, but if so he had deter
mined on attacking me alone, perhaps
because was higher up and offered
him a better show. When l realized
that he was certainly coming my way |
felt a Jingle of excitement all through
my nerves, and at once shouted to the
sleeping servant. He cast off sleep and
sprang up, and | suppose this action
saved me, for the cobra had already
raised its head as high as the hammock.
As the native sprang up he could have
touched the snake. He saw it before
him, uttered a shrek of terror, and
next instant was victim. | saw the
snake strike him repeatedly in the face.
l think the poor fellow lost conscious
ness with the first attack, for the one
scream was all he uttered.
The alarm seemed to 90 all over the
village in a moment, and the people at
once fastened up with drums, articles
of tinware, and whatever would create
din. They also shouted at the tops
of their voices, and for minute or two
the cobra seemed undecided whether
to attack me OF beat a hasty retreat. !
was sick and dizzy with the terror and
the odor, and made no move to help
myself. That was doubtless the wisest
policy. | could have only emptied my
self out of the hammock upon the
ground beside him, and he certainly
would have resented my presence.
Twice he reared up as if he intended
to strike me, but the noise alarmed
him. A young man finally came run.
ming up with blazing torch, and thi,
was hurled with such precision as tC
alight directly upon one of the cobra's
folds. He must have been badly scorch
ed, for he Kissed as loudly as an angry
| gander, Topped himself about in ter
rible way, and then went off to the Jun
Gle at n rapid rate Then natives rush
ed to the aid of their poor fellow, wht
was unconscious and moaning in pitt
full way They had half dozen RENE
dies on hand, but none of them was 0
the least avail He died in about thir
ty-hvc minutes, and the corpse was on
of the worst sights l ever beheld.
turned green-black with the powerful
poison, and it swcllod until one coult
hardly believe the object had ever beel
a human being. The natives examined
the face and reported that the serpen
had struck him five times.
About six weeks after the adventur
with the serpent, and while lying i
camp about thirty miles distant, fin
opportunity was given me to observe
from a single standpoint, the character
istics of the rhinoceros, the tiger, an
, a snake of a another species We ha
, our camp in village which was ha'
deserted on account of the proximity G
a bad rhinoceros and two or three mar
| eating tigers. A bad rhinoceros, it ma
: be explained, is the same thing as a ba
1 elephant. 1t is one that has lost in
fair fight his leadership, and is drive
9 away in disgrace. The rhinocerC